God helps those who help themselves. It is an appropriate dictum as the champions of England journey from St Mary's to the shadow of St Peter's this week. Rome can be generous; it can also be unforgiving.

Arsenal have already lost two Champions League games immediately after their previous defeats in the Premiership. This may appear a bad European omen, but England's leaders should be more immediately concerned with the disturbing signs on display here in domestic conflict. They should look at themselves rather than at the referee Paul Durkin.

Heading the Highbury quiz list is the defence, responsible for conceding three league goals away for the first time since May 2001. There must be something about Southampton, for that treble was conceded down at the Dell. This time Arsenal could not blame a wonder goal from Matthew Le Tissier.

Arsène Wenger queried the free-kick conceded by Pascal Cygan leading to James Beattie's first goal even more than the same striker's penalty, awarded against the sent-off Sol Campbell. The manager offered some plaintive protests - "I felt Sol went for the ball" - but there was little doubt in both incidents that the same Southampton striker, Agustin Delgado, was fouled.

Even if, as Wenger correctly observed, the "linesman did not move" and his players protested long and loud, Durkin's blue crime sheet tells it as it was: "Denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity." It was not what is - often euphemistically - described as a shoulder charge by Campbell; it was a barge, from behind.

The good news for Campbell is that, under the convoluted disciplinary code, he will be banned for only one game, not three, because he was adjudged to have committed a so-called professional foul. Unfortunately for Arsenal, this means the centre-back will miss their most difficult fixture, at Manchester United in a fortnight, but he will be free to enjoy the delights of returning to Tottenham a week later.

Arsenal will not be appealing against Campbell's dismissal, which was Arsenal's third red card of this season and the 47th of Wenger's regime.

Cygan stayed on the pitch but arguably suffered greater damage to his reputation than did his central defensive partner. Even before his own illegal contact with Delgado invited the punishment of Beattie's powerful 25-yard shot for the equaliser, the 6ft 5in French defender had offered Matthew Oakley the chance to score. Then, just before the hour, Cygan was dispossessed by the Ecuadorean, an error for which Campbell, desperately trying to retrieve the situation, ultimately paid the price.

On what appeared a damp but otherwise superb playing surface, Cygan slipped so many times that the charitable explanation was that he had chosen the wrong studs. And no one knows why David Seaman failed to collect Fabrice Fernandes's floated free-kick towards the far post for Delgado to squeeze in Southampton's third goal. This, dare it be said, was in the same goal-mouth in which England goalkeeper blundered against Macedonia.

Gordon Strachan's game plan might be hailed as the model for beating Arsenal. Yet, despite his players' "fantastic focus" and tremendous spirit, Arsenal still created many chances, with Patrick Vieira's triple failure to score in one attack the most glaring wastefulness. Then again, not many teams have a goalkeeper as defiant as Antti Niemi, who blocked all three Vieira attempts but had no chance with Dennis Bergkamp's superb half-volley and Robert Pires's close-range shot.

The last word, deservedly, lies with Southampton's top scorer. The Beattie-for-England bandwagon is being overdone on the south coast, but the goals keep rolling - eight now in his last seven games. "I've had my problems off the pitch, and I'm having to show some mental strength. I'm really enjoying my football, playing it with a smile on my face." The striker could have been talking about every Saint.